At the beginning of this decade the world — and therefore Cobram and Barooga — was suffering after the crash of Wall Street; it was the beginning of the Great Depression.
With unemployment sitting about 30 per cent, life was particularly tough for those who had returned from the war and were already struggling with regaining employment.
So, it is not surprising to find that things were also a bit slow at the Returned Sailor's & Soldier's Imperial League (RSSILA) at this time. Records show that only two meetings were held in each of 1929 and 1930 and it is a little confusing to find that at the annual general meeting of 1930 there was a motion that a letter should be written to RSSILA headquarters to ask about forming a sub-branch.
Then the record books are silent until 1935 when activity ramps up after the RSSILA headquarters sent a representative from the Shepparton sub-branch to a meeting at which the Cobram sub-branch was re-formed.
Regular meetings were held from 1935 to 1938 inclusive. For the entire period (1929 – 1938) the sub-branch was led by president M. D. O’Dwyer, with minor changes in the executive positions and committee.
The Anzac Day commemorations of 1929 – 1935 consisted of ex-servicemen marching to the Mechanics Institute, accompanied by Scouts, where they were met by Brownies and Guides and members of the public.
The service was essentially a church service, including the singing of Kipling's Recessional and an address, often given by a member of the clergy. The Last Post was sometimes played on the organ, the one or two minutes of silence were observed and the national anthem sung.
The program in 1936 was reported as being different and included musical items and a recitation.
While it was reportedly accepted well, in 1937 the day reverted to the earlier format and attracted “probably a record crowd of 180 people”.
This was at the time when there was a push to change the way that Anzac Day was observed. Should it be the Sunday, April 4, or a half-day observance?
In 1938 there was another change where the morning service was the traditional format, but this was followed by the ex-servicemen marching to the hall in the afternoon where the gathering listened to a broadcast of the Anzac Day service conducted at the Shrine of Remembrance.
While the social and welfare aspect of the sub-branch was reported in 1930 when it held a dance “in aid of distressed soldiers” it is not clear if it was to relieve general distress of the ill or wounded, or to relieve the impact of the Depression. Remembering that at this time the membership of the sub-branch were all males, they were either very good organisers or good at delegating to organise their very elaborate and successful Diggers Balls.
Four hundred people attended the 1935 ball, 350 in 1936, 500 in 1937 and 450 in 1938. It is reported on each occasion that the hall was elaborately decorated in war-time themes – from trenches to pyramids with crepe paper flags and streamers. The supper room was also decorated and "the ladies" provided a highly complimented sit-down supper.
Profits from the balls were shared between the RSSILA, Mooroopna Hospital and Mechanics Institute.
In 1938 there were also a couple of firsts, including the first reunion for the sub-branch. This provided the opportunity for some 150 Diggers and distinguished guests to gather and acknowledge the benefits of the league. Of note is the fact that there were sobering speeches about the unrest in Europe and what it might mean for the world. The other first was a 'Diggers non-golfers single stick competition' – which means that the golf club agreed to allow non-golfers on its course.
In later years this turned into a much bigger event.
It was mentioned in the first edition of this series that there was debate about the disbursement of funds raised by the Comforts Fund. Eventually in 1935 the decision was made to use the funds for the construction of a memorial supper room to be associated with the Mechanics Institute. The planned supper room was in fact to be equal in size to the hall, with a capacity for seating 300 for supper.
To that end members of the RSSILA became members of the Mechanics Institute Committee and not only funded the building of the supper room, but also raised the funds to reduce the debt on the Hall.
After calling for tenders in November 1935, construction commenced in May 1936.
Whilst M. D. O’Dwyer had stated at a public meeting that “it would be folly to erect a memorial after the war had been ended 20 years”, the supper room was the closest thing to a War Memorial that Cobram had.